Temperature-indicating system for internal-combustion engines



N. SCHLAXCH. TEMPERATURE INDIE/WING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION mm $2179. 5. 1 16- Patented och- 3 W222 Du m M W.

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flTTUH/JEV WI T/VESS M 1 Patented Get. 3, 1922..

STATES HERMAN SCHLAICH, or

I taaaaaa an a? 151 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TEMPERATURE-INDICATI-NG SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Application filed March 6,

,bustion Engines, of'which the following is a specification My lnventlon relates to a temperature indicating system adapted for use in connection with internal combustion engines; and

it comprisesa thermometer. or similar teme pcrature indicating device designed espe' cially to be mounted on the dashboard of. conveyances propelled by such enginrs and arranged so that the driver may keep himself informed of the condition of the medium by which such engines are cooled.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide a combination of elements which will show the temperature of the mediumemployed to cool an internal combustion engine, with absolute accuracy regardless of the influence of the atmosphere and other external factors: and I achieve 'this result by means of parts which are so controlled that the action thereof will always be reliable whether the surroundiugs of the en gine be hot or cold ;'and therefore be capable of giving a true and exact indication of the real state ofthe cooling medium.

011 the drawings which show an embodiment of the principle of my in'iprovement Figure 1 illustrates a longitudinal section of a thermometer to becarried by the dash board of an automobile or the like. in the practice of my invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of such a ther-, mometer f Figure 3 is a cross' section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a somewhat diagrammatic view showing my invention as applied to the engine by which the automobile or the like is driven.

The same numerals ofreference are made use of in connection with the same parts. throughout.

To describe my invention "in detail, I employ the numeral 1 to indicate a suitable support, such as the dashboard of an automobile, for/example located in proximity to. an internal combustion engine 2, havin one or more power cylinders 3, provided with a jacket 4 to enclose a cooling chamber 5. To

threaded opening therein to receive a tube 1916. Serial mi. sagas.

this chamber the water or other cooling agent will be supplied by-suitable conduits, and'conveyed therefrom to the usual radiator, not shown. at the front of the car, to be treated after absorbing part of the heat of combustion during passage through the chamber 5. The jacket 1 constituting the outer wall of this chamber will have a (S, that is united to a temperature-indicating device, which will presently be discussed in full; on the dashboard 1, by a conduit 7. A lock nut 8 will secure the tube 6- in proper position on the jackett, and the tube and conduit will be connected by any type of union coupling now in common use. The

temperatln'e indicating device or thermometer is identified as a whole by the numeral 9,and various parts thereof are arranged to co-operate in manner that will give the required effect above referred to.

The mechanism otthe thermometer is housed in a suitable casing comprising a relatively large section 10, received in an aperture of the dashboard 1; and havin a flange for the fastening. screws; an a smaller section or projection 11 which extends in front of the dashboard 1 and contains a thermostatic element in the form of ahollow tube 12. shaped like a'spiral; communicating at one end with the conduit 7, and connected at its opposite end to another thermostatic element in the form of a solid metallic spiral coil 13. The tube 12 is made like an ordinary gauge tube. bent as desired; and the coil 13 consists of a pair of superposed strips, one 01 brass and the other of nickel steel, "with the latter on the inside. Both tubes 6 and12,-together with the connecting conduit 7. will be filled with a suit-- able expansilole liquid, suchas alcohol. glycerine, etc., and when the cooling medium heated the effect will of course be to cause the tube-l2 to distend or unwind to a certain extent. The coil 13 will also respond to changes in temperature;-but is so mounted that when heated, it will oppose the expansion or tendency to unwind of the coiled tube 12. In this fashion variations in the temperature of the surrounding air will be neutralized; and the action ofCthe tube 12- regulated so that a given variation in the temperature of the coolingmedium will always produce a constant degree of-i movement of a pointer or index member 14, which is operated by the joint action of the eliminated.

For closing the outer end of the projection 11, I screw into it a plug 15 having a central opening on its inner face to serve as a bearing for a journal 16 of a sleeve 17.

This sleeve encloses the coil 13 and is provided with openings or windows 18 in its opposite sides,-through which the coil 13 can I be plainly discerned. At its end near the journal or trunnion 16, the sleeve is of course closed; but its other. end is open and on its outer surface adjacent the open end, the sleeve has a slotted projectionlE) to receive a short arm 20 on the adjacent end of the spiral tube 12. The tube 12 and coil 13 thus 20 have a lost motion connection which permits axial movement of the one relative to the 1 other. I anchor the'coil 13 to the end of the v.sleeve adjacent the journal 16, and the op posite end of the coil is fastened to a bus 1- ing 21, received in the open end of the sleeve and free to move therein; and from this bushingtowards the section 10 extends a shaft 22. A bearing 23 in line with the'bcaring for the journal 16, in the section 11 ad- 30. jacent the section 10, rotatably supports the shaft 22.

Inside the section 10 of the casing and projecting from. the side thereof are arms 2 1 having alined bearings for a spindle 25.,

which carries thepointer 1 L. This spindle also carries a rear 26 between the arms 24, .wluch 1s actuated by a curved rack on a lever 27 ;-piv.oted to the arms 24 between the shaft.

25 and the sidewall of the section 10, by

means of a pin providing trunnions 28. Be-

tween th1s pm 28 and the surface of the sec-' tion 10 the le 'er 27 has a slot 29 receiying the end of a crank 30 on the shaft 22.- The forward arm 24..may carry the dial 81 with graduations. marked thereon behind the pointer 14; and the front end of the casino: will be closed by a glass face 32, held in position by a flanged ring 33 arranged to be screwed on the section 1 0. \Vhen the casing is mounted thearms 24 will be vertical.

The operation'of my invention will now be explained. The v various parts will be so fitted and connected that so long as the temperature of the water, or other cooling medium for the engine. does not exceed 170 F. the pointer it will take a position in the middle of the scale 31. as portrayed in Figure 2. If the cooling medium becomes hotter, the fluid in the tube 6, conduit 7 and tube 12 l expands; and the pointer, as the tube 12 dis" tends. will move over to the right.

0n the other hand, 1f the temperature of the coolmg medium drops, the pointer will move to the left.

the counter etfect of the coil 13. I quently the movement of the pointer 14 will pheric temperature and other disturbing factors is neutralized; and compensation is. automatically made for variations 1n theaction of the tube 12., It will be'obvious that on a cold day a given rise in the temperature of the cooling medium would not produce the same movement of the pointer as on a warm day. This is because the temperature of the surrounding air materially effects the tube 12, as ,well as does that of the cooling medium, and the motion of the pointer is produced by both. The coil 13, however, is so designed that it will contract, or roll up, upon arise in temperature, and its action is therefore the reverse of that of the tube 12. Therefore the higher the outside temperature and the greater the tendency of the tube 12 to expand, the greater will be Consealways be uniform and a direct function of the condition of the cooling medium.

If desired 1 may locate an electric tern1inal3 t at the high temperature end of the scale 31, to be touched by the pointer 14 when the cooling medium becomes heated to say 230 To this terminal may be connected a wire leading to the main conductor joined to the proper terminal-of the source .of electhe instrumentality of the thermostatic element or coil 13, the influence of atmostric current for the ignition system. Hence when the pointer makes contact with the terminal 34 the source of current will be short-circuited and the operation of the in"; n'iters of the engine interrupted. As a re sult the engine cannot continue running, but must slow down and stop till the cooling medium. is restored to proper condition; and damage averted even though the operator be too careless to heed the pointer 14.

The connections above detailed between the shaft 22 and the pointer 14 are especially useful when the projectionll is eccentric with respect to the section 10. When the sections 10 and 11 are co-axial, as illustrated, the shaft 12 may be extended and the pointer 14 placed directly thereon, as the shafts 22 and 26 are shown in line with each other.'

principle or material alterations in structure.

provement is simple and easily made, yet perfectly reliable in operation. While the construction disclosedherein is preferable. I reserve the right to make changes therein as respects the shape, size and arrangement It will be seen from the above that my imof parts, within the scope and spirit of my invention as defined 1n the claims appended hereto.

Having described my invention,- what I believe to be new, and desire :to secure and rotect by Letters Patent of the United tates is: 1. The combination with an internal combustion vehicle propelling engine, of temperature indicating means for at all times indicating 'the-operatin temperature of the engine to the driver of t e vehicle, and means controlled by said temperature indicating means for modifying the operation of the engine. a

2. The combination with an internal combustion vehicle propelling engine having a cooling system, of temperature indicating means for indicating the temperature of the fluid within the system to the driver of the vehicle during the operation'of the engine, and means controlled by said temperature indicating means for modifying the operation of the engine-when the temperature of the fluid within the cooling system reaches a predetermined point.

3. The combination with an internal combu'stion vehicle propelling engine, of means associated therewith so as-to be influenced by the temperature of the engine, indicating means controlled by said temperature-influenced means for showing normal and undesirable conditions of the engine and located to be read by the operator of the vehicle while driving the same, whereby said indicating-means Wlll serve normally as a guide for the operator in driving the engine at proper temperatures and abnormally bustion vehicle propelling engine having a as a warning to prevent or overcome undethe cooling system reaches a predetermined point. i I

' 5. The combination wlth an internal comwater circulation cooling system of'a bulb arranged in said system so as to, be responsive to temperature changes therein, a gage mounted on the vehicle dash, a tube connecting said bulb and gage, indicating means in said gage, pressure-responsive devices in said gage for actuating said indicating means, and electrical contact devices in said gage actuated by said pressure-responsivedevices, for rendering the electrical ignition means of the engine inoperative when a predetermined temperature is reached.

6. The combination with an internal combustion vehicle propelling engine havin a water circulation cooling system and e ectrical ignition means, 0 a bulb located in the cooling system, a gage mountedin a position for observation by the driver of the vehicle, and connected to said bulb by a tube, pressure-responsive means in the gage, in-

dicating means actuated by the pressure-rea sponsive means, an electrical contact member in said gage connected to the ignition circuit, and a member in the gage moved b the pressure-responsive means thereo adapted to make contact with said electrical contact device so as to short-circuit the en gine ignition means when the temperature in thecooling system reaches a predetermined point.

'7. The combination with an'internal-combustion vehicle propelling engine having a water circulation cooling system and electrical ignition means, ofa bulb located'in the cooling system, a gage therein mounted in a position for observation by the driver of the vehicle, and connected to said bulb by a tube, pressure-responsive means in the gage, indicating means actuated by the'pressure-responsive means, an electrical contact member in said gage connected to the ignition circuit, and a member in the gage moved by the pressure-responsive means thereof,

adapted to make contact'with said electrical I contact device so as to short-circuit the engine ignition means when the temperature in the cooling system reaches a predetermined, point, said movable member being adapted to move out of contact with said electrical contact member upon a fall in temperature in the cooling system whereby said engine ignition system is automatically restored to an operative condition.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 7th day of February, A. Dj1916.

HERMAN SCHLAICH. 

